Wheelbarrow (robot)
The Wheelbarrow is a remotely controlled robot designed in 1972 for use by British Army bomb disposal teams operating in Northern Ireland (
The Wheelbarrow was withdrawn from British Army service in 2019, and replaced by the Harris T7 UGV.[1]
Design and development
Peter Miller, a retired Lieutenant-Colonel of the Royal Tank regiment, conceived the idea in the aftermath of a period (1971 – 72) when the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) lost eight Ammunition Technical Officers (ATO) on active duty in Northern Ireland.[2][3] Tasked with finding a solution by Colonel George Styles, Miller recalled that he had developed a technique when modifying a lawnmower. A possible solution to the problem, Miller went to a local garden centre to buy a lawnmower, but instead was convinced by the store manager to buy an electrically powered wheelbarrow. Miller thought it was "ideal and bought one on the spot".[2]
The head of the RAOC's Bomb Disposal School, Major Robert John Wilson Patterson, who invented the
The crude prototypes produced at CAD Kineton proved difficult to manoeuvre, so a team at the then Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment (MVEE, Chertsey) was tasked to improve the tracking and steering.[citation needed]
The Wheelbarrow has undergone several upgrades, the latest being the Wheelbarrow Revolution. The most notable feature in this model include a 360 degree arm which can be outfitted with various EOD attachments. The Wheelbarrow Revolution is also capable of climbing stairways.[citation needed]
A Mark 9 version of the Wheelbarrow built by
References
- ^ Victor, Nancy (2019-01-02). "Harris delivers four advanced bomb disposal robots to British Army". Army Technology. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ a b Smith, Michael (April 16, 2001). "Calls to honour inventor of bomb disposal device". The Telegraph.
- ^ "Lieutenant Colonel 'Peter' Miller". The Times. September 6, 2006.
- ^ "Publications and Records". UK Parliament. October 21, 1998.
- ^ "Wheelbarrow MK9 Unmanned Ground Vehicle". Army Technology.
- ^ Caswell, Cliff (April 25, 2012). "Met Acquires New Bomb Disposal Robot Fleet". Police Oracle.